WACC has announced that investigative journalist Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, a daily TV/radio news show airing on more than 700 stations worldwide, is to receive its Communication for Peace Award. The ceremony will take place at WACC's international conference – Communication is peace: Building viable communities in Cape Town, South Africa, 6-10 October 2008.

Amy Goodman draws her inspiration from independent thinkers, artists, activists, journalists and alternative media around the world – those who challenge the powers that be. In Static, she writes: Every day, Democracy Now! breaks the sound barrier by broadcasting a rich, dissenting, diverse range of voices. This includes the powerful and the grassroots, the banned, the celebrated, the despised, marginalized and ignored. These are the voices of people fighting to make the world a better, more humane, just, peaceful, and more compassionate place.

Goodman holds a degree in anthropology from Harvard University and began her journalism career as producer of the evening news show for community radio station WBAI, Pacifica Radio's station in New York City.

In 1991, Goodman traveled to East Timor to report on the Indonesian occupation of that country. There, she and colleague Allan Nairn witnessed Indonesian soldiers gun down 270 East Timorese men, women and children during a memorial procession. Indonesian soldiers savagely beat both journalists, fracturing Nairn's skull. Their documentary Massacre: The Story of East Timor later won numerous awards, including the Robert F. Kennedy Prize for International Reporting, the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Award, the Armstrong Award, and the Radio/Television News Directors Award.

Goodman believes the role of the media is to go to where the silence is and say something. I think the media can build bridges in society between cultures and communities. But we need to hear people speaking for themselves. That breaks down bigotry and the stereotypes that fuel hatred. If you don't hear the voices of certain people, and you see them being demonized, it becomes easier to treat them as sub-human.

In March 2004, Goodman obtained the international broadcast exclusive of the return of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from his imposed exile in the Central African Republic to Jamaica, accompanying the Aristides with the delegation that retrieved them. Her coverage of the Haitian story scored more than 3.5 million hits on the web site of Democracy Now!, ultimately forcing the story into the mainstream press in what Goodman describes as trickle up journalism.

Since 2006, Goodman has been writing a weekly column Breaking the Sound Barrier for King Features Syndicate. She says her column's focus is to include voices so often excluded, people whose views the media mostly ignore, issues they distort and even ridicule.

Goodman has published three New York Times best-sellers: The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them (2004), Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and The People who Fight Back (2006); and Standing up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times (2008), each co-authored with her brother, journalist David Goodman. WACC is proud to name Amy Goodman as the recipient of its Communication for Peace Award.

Contact:
Philip Lee, Deputy Director of Programmes, WACC.

**Amy Goodman recevra le Prix Communication for Peace (Communication pour la paix) **

Toronto, Canada, le 20 Aug. 2008

La WACC a annonce que la journaliste investigation Amy Goodman, animatrice de mission vise et radiophonique Democracy Now!, diffuse sur plus de 700 stations travers le monde, recevra le Prix Communication for Peace (Communication pour la paix). La monie aura lieu lors de la conference internationale de la WACC, intitule La communication. Test la paix : b~tir des communaut's durables, qui se tiendra au Cap, en Afrique du Sud, du 6 au 10 octobre 2008.

Amy Goodman tire son inspiration des penseurs, des artistes, des activistes et des journalistes independants, ainsi que des media alternatifs du monde entier, en bref de tous ceux qui de fient le pouvoir tabli. Dans Static, elle ;crit: Tous les jours, le mission Democracy Now! franchit le mur du son en diffusant des voix divergentes, riches et diversifies. Celles des tout-puissants et des gens du peuple, des exclus, des cebrites, des meprisis, des marginalises et des laisses-pour-compte. Ce sont les voix de ceux qui se battent pour ameliorer notre monde et le transformer en un lieu plus juste et plus humain, orgnent la paix et la compassion.

Amy Goodman est diple en anthropologie de l'Universite de Harvard et a demarre sa carriere de journaliste comme productrice de l'emission d'actualite diffusee en soiree sur la radio communautaire WBAI, la station new-yorkaise de Pacifica Radio.

En 1991, Goodman se Test rendue au Timor oriental pour effectuer un reportage sur le Toccupation indonesienne du pays. Le , en compagnie de son collegue Allan Nairn, elle a moin de la fusillade de 270 hommes, femmes et enfants timorais par des soldats indonesiens lors d'une procession commmorative. Ces derniers ont sauvagement frappe; les journalistes et Nairn a victime deTune fracture du crene. Leur documentaire Massacre: The Story of East Timor a ulterieurement remporte de nombreuses recompenses, dont notamment le prix Robert F. Kennedy pour les reportages internationaux, le prix Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia, le prix Armstrong et le prix des directeurs de leTinformation radiophonique et tevisee (Radio/Television News Directors Award).

Goodman est convaincue que le rele des media est deTaller dans les endroits oeregne le silence et de parler tout haut. Je pense que les medias peuvent jeter des ponts entre les cultures et les communautes au sein de la societe. Mais les gens doivent parler en leur nom propre. Cela permet de lutter contre le sectarisme et les stereo types qui entretiennent la haine. Si leTon neTentend pas les voix de certaines personnes et que ces dernieres sont diabolise es, alors il devient plus facile de les traiter comme des etres des humanises.

En mars 2004, Goodman a obtenu la permission exclusive deTaccompagner le President haetien Jean-Bertrand Aristide, son pouse et la degation chargee de les recuperer lors de leur voyage de retour en Jamaeque apres leTexil force du president haetien en Republique centrafricaine. Son reportage sur leThistoire haetienne a ete consulte 3,5 millions de fois sur le site Web Democracy Now!, obligeant la presse grand public relayer leTinformation, un phenomene queTelle a baptise le journalisme ascendant.

Depuis 2006, Goodman redige une chronique hebdomadaire intitulee Breaking the Sound Barrier pour le King Features Syndicate. Le objectif de sa chronique, dit-elle est de faire entendre les voix si souvent exclues, les gens dont opinion est largement ignoree par les media, les questions queils deforment, voire queils ridiculisent.

Goodman a publie trois grands succes du New York Times : The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them (2004), Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and The People who Fight Back (2006); et Standing up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times (2008), dont son frere, le journaliste David Goodman, est egalement co-auteur.

La WACC est fiere de decerner le Prix Communication for Peace (Communication pour la paix) Amy Goodman.

Philip Lee, directeur adjoint des programmes, WACC

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